Descrição
Mestrado em Ciências ForensesMaster Degree Course in Forensic Sciencesda sua localização por região anatómica. Para tal foram consultados os
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registos dos relatórios periciais das avaliações da Clínica Médico Legal da Delegação do
Porto do INML no âmbito da violência doméstica, incluindo os casos com abuso sexual.
A análise descritiva efectuada sobre a distribuição da localização das lesões e sua
tipologia, incidiu principalmente nas regiões relacionadas no âmbito da Medicina Dentária e
do grupo Maxilo-Facial.
Observou-se que a caracterização sócio-demográfica da nossa população demonstra
que a vítima com maior incidência é a mulher (82%), com meia-idade, com uma profissão
pertencente aos quadros não qualificados ou sem profissão activa (54,3%), em que o
agressor mais frequente é o marido (46,1%). No caso dos idosos constatamos que o
fenómeno é pouco significativo acima do grupo etário dos 80 anos.
As lesões dentárias, manifestam-se mais nas mulheres com profissões pouco
qualificadas, sendo a mais frequente a perda de uma peça dentária (82,1%), na região
antero-superior.
As regiões que manifestaram mais lesões foram os membros superiores com 39,5%, a
face com 31,9%, seguidas da cabeça com 19,8%, do tronco com 17,6%, dos membros
inferiores com 16,8% e o pescoço com 12,5%. O tipo de lesões mais frequentes é as
equimoses, as escoriações, o hematoma e o edema.
Verifica-se que a maior incidência das lesões ocorridas no contexto dos maus tratos
físicos manifesta-se na área de observação e intervenção da Medicina Dentária, ao nível da
cabeça (19,8%), face (31,9%) e pescoço (12,5%), o que demonstra a importância do papel
da Medicina Dentária.
Importa, salientar a actuação que estes profissionais poderão ter, quer em relação à
prevenção, quer à intervenção. Apostar junto destes profissionais no máximo de informação
e sensibilização sobre esta problemática, construindo uma alfabetização da
responsabilidade médica, jurídica e social e promover uma maior capacidade interventiva
dos profissionais de saúde oral.
11Domestic violence transcends age, race, gender, culture, social-economical status and
sexuality. It is a phenomenon of significant extent and intensity, involving multiple forms of
violence (physical, sexual, psychological).
The process unleashing domestic violence may evolve from words, a push, a shove or
a slap in the face, escalating towards a pattern of violence. What we know for sure is that
victims become stigmatized, experiencing solitude, rage, anguish, disappointment and
bitterness.
It was traditionally thought of as a family problem, so that healthcare services, formal
control authorities and social services had doubts as to how to intervene. Nowadays, it s a
problem integrating the whole of social and political concern, which contributed to a change
in the dominant attitude towards this phenomenon, as well as the attitudes and position of
healthcare professionals, who are frequently the first to tend to the victims by providing the
necessary healthcare, guiding them and cooperating with police and judicial authorities by
denouncing and supplying evidence.
Victims of domestic violence do not present a specific profile, so detection must be
universal in nature and it is necessary to establish individualized therapeutic plans. There is
no unique answer to all the people who live with this kind of violence. Healthcare
professionals may collaborate through the knowledge of community resources towards the
solution of these people s needs, as well as through in-depth study of this theme.
Having found that the most frequent injuries sustained in physically abusive contexts
occur in the spectre of Dentistry s observation and intervention: head, face and neck, we
conducted a study pertaining to understand the relevance and the relation of Dentistry to
the complexity of this problem and to the dimension of the domestic violence theme.
Thus, this study aimed at assessing the quantification of the typology of injuries and
the distribution of their location by anatomical region. With this purpose, we consulted the
records of medical examiner s reports for the domestic violence related assessments
conducted in the Medical Legal Clinic of the Oporto Delegation of the National Institute of
Legal Medicine, including those cases featuring sexual abuse.
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The descriptive analysis conducted on the distribution of the injuries location and their
typology was mostly focused in regions related to Dentistry and of the Jaw-Facial Group.
The social-demographic characterization of our population shows a greater incidence
of victims in women (82%), mostly middle-aged, with little professional qualifications or no
active profession (54.3%), in which cases the most frequent offender is the husband
(46.1%). In the elderly sector of the population, this phenomenon is of little significance
above the 80 year old age group.
Dental injuries are more present in women with low-qualification professions, the most
frequent being the loss of a dental piece (82.1%), in the anterior-superior region.
Those regions showing the most injuries were the superior limbs (39.5%), the face
(31.9%), followed by the head (19.8%), torso (17.6%), lower limbs (16.8%) and neck
(12.5%). The most frequent types of injuries are bruises, lacerations, haematoma and
oedema.
The greatest incidence of injuries sustained in physically abusive contexts occurs in
the spectre of Dentistry s observation and intervention, affecting the head (19.8%), face
(31.9%) and neck (12.5%), thus emphasizing the relevance of Dentistry s role.
It matters, to point out the actuation that these professionals will be able to have,
either in relation to the prevention, or to the intervention. To stimulate next to these
professionals in the maximum of information and sensitization on this problematic one,
constructing a Teaching of the medical, legal and social responsibility and to promote a
bigger capacity intervention of the professionals of Dental medicine.